Parents in British Columbia are being urged not to stockpile or panic buy amid a shortage in liquid ibuprofen and acetaminophen products for children.
In Vancouver, Dr. Anna Wolak said she has observed more barren shelves than usual as of late, including an absence of children’s cold and flu medicine.
“The first thing is not to panic, not to stockpile,” the family physician and University of British Columbia clinical assistant professor told Global News.
“What we are seeing are the liquid preparations of acetaminophen and ibuprofen — that doesn’t mean there’s a complete backlog of any acetaminophen and ibuprofen.”
According to Health Canada, the shortage affecting pharmacies in several provinces is due to both supply chain issues and “significantly higher than normal” demand.
More children are out and about this summer than in previous summers, explained Vancouver-based pharmacist Barbara Gobis, and combined with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, more are falling ill.
“The industry just hasn’t been ready to keep pace with the unexpected demand,” said Gobis, who is also a director of the UBC Pharmacists Clinic.
“Cold and flu is normally more popular in the fall when children go back to school, that’s when the children’s products tend to be more in demand. We didn’t really expect it to happen this soon.”
In an emailed statement, the BC Children’s Hospital said it’s aware of the “limited supply of oral versions of acetaminophen and ibuprofen,” but has sufficient supply in stock for its patients.
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“We understand that consumers are experiencing intermittent unavailability,” it wrote. “We discourage anyone from stocking up, so that supply does not completely sell out.”
The BC Children’s Hospital, Wolak and Gobis all encouraged parents whose children need medicine to consult a physician or pharmacist before using any alternatives.
Wolak and Gobis urged parents not to use aspirin in particular, as it is — in rare cases — connected to Reye’s syndrome, which causes swelling of the liver and brain, and can be fatal.
“We just ask parents not to wing it. Just pick up the phone and call your usual source of advice,” said Gobis.
Wolak said parents can look for the chewable children’s ibuprofen and acetaminophen products instead, or opt for a non-brand name medicine if the brand names are out of stock. Some pharmacists have large liquid bottles behind the shelves, she added, which they may decant into smaller bottles upon request.
If none of those options are available, she encouraged parents to speak with a medical professional.
“These medication are weight-based, not age-based,” he explained. “You can talk to your pharmacist or your doctor, give the weight of your child and together you can compute the dose that the child is allowed to have.”
Meanwhile, Health Canada has said it’s working with other federal departments, provinces and territories, companies, and stakeholders across the supply chain to determine the details and status of the shortage, coordinate information sharing, and identify mitigation options.
Regulatory measures to accelerate a resupply are not off the table, it added.
In B.C., Health Minister Adrian Dix said supplies in the province’s public health-care system are “adequate.”
“We’re obviously carefully monitoring it and the more supply we can get, the better. Some health systems have been having trouble … That hasn’t been the case so far in B.C.,” he told Global News.
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